Tourism generated $207M in 2025

Revenue was up 3.9% from 2024

September 9, 2026 by G. Chambers Williams III

Outsiders coming to Anderson County for shopping, sightseeing, lake activities and more generated $207 million in spending in 2025 during their time here, according to a new study released by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.

That estimated spending was up 3.9% over that of the 2024 Tourism Economics study, the state agency said.

It also gave Anderson County a ranking of 15th among the state’s 95 counties in visitor spending, up from 16th in 2024.

Such an increase could be considered a surprise, considering that Clinton’s biggest tourism economic generator – the nationally renowned antique shops in the historic downtown area – had to deal with a shutdown of Market Street for nearly all of the year to accommodate a $5.9 million street and sidewalk improvement project.

That project was thought to have stymied business in the local antique stores and other downtown businesses while the street was shut down, but even with the construction, the usual spring and fall antique festivals were held as planned.

Anderson County is part of Tennessee’s Middle East tourism region, where visitor spending reached $7.9 billion in 2025, up 3.6% over 2024 and up 46.9% since 2018.

The county’s 3.9 percent increase in tourism spending outpaced the statewide growth rate of 2.7% for the year, the report noted.

Overall, Tennessee’s tourism industry generated a record $32.5 billion in direct visitor spending in 2025, along with $3.3 billion in state and local tax revenue, the report said.

The state’s tourism economy has grown 40% since 2018, nearly double the national growth rate of 22%, the study also found.

Anderson County’s spending growth was led by increases in lodging, according to the report.

“Tourism continues to be a significant economic driver for Anderson County, benefiting our local businesses, creating jobs, and generating tax revenue that supports essential services throughout our county,” said Stephanie Wells, Anderson Count0’s tourism director.

“The 2025 results are especially encouraging as we continue to see Anderson County outperform the statewide and national growth rates,” she added.

“Moving up to 15th among Tennessee’s 95 counties … demonstrates the strength of our destination and the appeal of our outdoor recreation, historic attractions and other tourism assets,” said Katy Watt, president of Explore Oak Ridge.

“We are proud of this progress and remain focused on attracting more visitors, encouraging longer stays and maximizing the economic impact of tourism for the city of Oak Ridge and Anderson County.”

Among the study’s findings:

n Direct visitor spending in Anderson County generated $11,975,760 in state tax revenue and $8,628,219 in local taxes.

n Every day, visitors spent an average of $567,326 on lodging, retail, transportation, recreation and dining throughout Anderson County.

n If it were not for state and local taxes generated by tourism, each household in Anderson County would pay $629 more in state and local taxes.

n Visitor-paid taxes support public education and other [crucial] services across Tennessee.

“The quality of our assets – whether that’s live music or entertainment or outdoors – are attractive to visitors,” said Mark Ezell, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.

“Every tax dollar captured from an out-of-state visitor is a dollar retained in Tennessee and used for Tennesseans,” he said. “

It’s incredible to see communities understanding the power of visitor spending, and leveraging that spending for the good of their residents.”